12.

Ella stood at the edge of the said plot, the cool breeze teasing the strands of her neatly tied ponytail. The land is bordered by tall fences on two sides and a bustling road on the third. She could already see it in her mind, a sleek, glass-fronted office building, its solar-paneled roof gleaming under the sun. This wasn't just a plot of land; it was the foundation of her dream.

"You are right. This is it." Ella told Austin, her face radiating with a smile.

"It does meet all your requirements, but as I had told you earlier on the phone, the rumor is that they are not selling." Austin told her.

Ella looked at the land that met all her requirements: the location, the security, the topography... 'I need to get this land.'

"You said Sterling group right?" Austin nodded in response, "I will get this land. You just help me make sure it doesn't land on another person's hand before I do." Although Austin didn't know how he could do that, he still found himself nodding.

For the past slightly over a year, Ella's IT consultancy had thrived in rented space; with the amount she had saved up for acquiring land for her company, Ella was almost certain she could pay for this land. 'As long as they do not ask for an unreasonable amount, I will definitely be getting this plot.' She thought to herself with a small smile.

This site, right in the heart of the city's upcoming tech district, had everything her growing company needed: accessibility, visibility, and when she can finally afford it, the location has potential to house state-of-the-art facilities she envisions. It was perfect.

"If they decide to sell, how much do you think it would be priced at?" Ella asked Austin. Although she has saved up quite a huge sum, Ella wanted to be certain that when it comes to payment, she won't fumble.

Austin chuckled. "I like your faith. As for the price, I am not sure. But considering its location, it will cost quite a lot."

"So you cannot put a price on it?" Ella asked him and Austin shook his head.

"I was only able to discover this plot because I had helped a client get an accommodation in an estate around here. When you gave your requirements, I remembered this plot, so I made inquiries, but then I discovered Sterling has refused to sell for several years now." Ella nodded biting her lips.

Although she wasn't able to get a price idea, she decided on her own to make more investments and generate more money. 'As long as money can buy this plot, she will be its owner.'

As she left Austin, Ella's mind continuously thought of how she could convince the owners to sell.

After spending this much time in country G, she has of course heard of the Sterling group. Although she had heard of them even in her past life, she didn't know much about them.

Ella leaned back in her office chair, frustration bubbling beneath her calm facade. Her screen displayed the same results it had for the past three hours: She clicked on the last article for the third time, squinting at the image of the elusive man. A sharp jawline, neatly trimmed dark hair, and piercing gray eyes that seemed to see right through the camera.

As angry as Ella was at not being able to find something tangible about the Sterling CEO, she had to admit, his face looked more like a model's than a corporate tycoon's. But none of that mattered to her. What mattered was that he owned the one thing she needed...her dream office site.

"They really expect me to wait a month for an appointment?" She muttered once more. She had tried to make an appointment with the CEO and see if she could make a deal with him, but the plan had been foiled. She couldn't afford to wait. 'What if another buyer swoops in before I even get the chance to pitch my offer.' She was getting really frustrated.

Ella leaned forward, her mind churning. If the official channels were too slow, then maybe... unofficial channels could work. She wasn't proud of what she was about to do, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Glancing at her door, Ella told her secretary to not let anyone in. With that done, her fingers flew across her keyboard, tapping into the skills that had made her consultancy a rising star in the industry.

Within an hour, she was able to navigate Sterling Group's corporate site, and she was able to successfully extract the CEO's schedule.

'Or should I trade their security flaw for the ownership of the land?' Ella quickly cleared her head from having such thoughts. How could she even think of such?!

Looking through the recently decrypted information, her eyes scanned the CEO's upcoming schedule. 'How do I stage a coincidental meeting?' She wondered as she looked through his schedules for the next coming days. With Emily's award night coming up in two weeks, Ella knew she had limited time to get herself acquainted with Alexander Sterling.

The next two days, Ella found herself planning several scenarios. She finally decided on one, Alexander has a meeting at a coffee shop the next day. So Ella decided to stage their meeting there.

She spent the whole day thinking of what to wear, she needed to make a good first impression on him. One that he wouldn't easily forget about her.

***

Inside the coffee shop, Ella scanned the room, her gaze flitting past the customers; all she could think of was, 'Where is he?'. According to the schedule she saw, he should be meeting with someone here today.

Just as she was thinking maybe there was a change, she saw him. He was walking down the stairs, a hand in his pocket.

Swallowing, Ella stood up. She has figured that just approaching him would seem too obvious, so she decided to act out one of the several cliches she sees in movies and read about.

Standing from her seat, she began walking towards him, her eyes refusing to leave her phone, as she scrolled absentmindedly. Soon she tripped, falling over to him.

Alexander stared at the lady who was falling over and smirked. 'Should I catch her or let her fall?'